The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-09-25
The Blundering Ministers and
Marriage Certificates.
THE VERY DIRECTIVE PAPERS.
The Regulations Under the law for
Filling Out the Documents So
They Will be Valid.

old dog new tricks" and the truth OF
this is forcibly illustrated by the loose
and careless manner in which marriage
certificates are made out, and sent TO
the Probate Clerk for filing,
The ministers of the gospel, how
ever, are the greatest blunderers in this
regard, and some of the cloth seem to
have an utter contempt for any form
of certificate that does not conform to
their ideas of right. Others again,
send in certificates that bear every in
dication of having been written with
chickens foot while the pastor was in
dalging in his morning ride astride his
favol tie steed; others, from the hurried.
and jumbled manner in which they are
put together, are redolent with sug-
gestiOns of runaway matches; and it
may be set down as sure that fully one
half of the certificates filed by the
ministers since the Edmunds- fucker
law went into effect are subject to very
grave suspicious as to their legal
status. The portion of the Edmunds-
Tucker monstrosity relating to mar
riages and the issue of certi6catcs reads
as follows: That every ceremony of
marriage, or in the nature of a mar
riage ceremony, of any kind, in any OF
the Territories of the United States,
whether either or both, or more of the
parties to such ceremony be lawfully
competent to be the subjects of such
marriage or ceremony or not, shall be
certified by a certificate stating the fact
and nature of said ceremony; the full
names of each of the parties
concerned, and the full name of every
officer, priest or person by whatever
style or designation called or known, in
any way taking part in the perform
ance of such ceremony, which certiti-
cate shall be drawn up and signed by
the parties to such ceremony, and by
every officer. priest and person taking
part in the performance OF such cere-
monv, and shall be by the officer, priest
or other person solemnizing such mar
riage or ceremony, filed in the office of
the Probate Court, or, if there be none,
in the Office of the court having probate
powers in the county or district in
which such ceremony shall take Place,
for record, and shall be Immediately re.
corded, and be at all times subject to in
spection as other public records. Such
certificate, or the record thereof, or a
duly certified copy of such record,
shall be prime tdcie evidence of
the facts required by this act to be
stated therein, IN any proceeding, civil
or criminal, in which the matter shall
be drawn in question. Any person who
oh rrriiF mi al "a oe h.
sions of this section shall be deemed
guilty of q misdemeanor. and shalt, on
conviction thereof, be punished by q
fine of not more than 81 600 or by
imprisonment not longer than Two
years, or by both such fine and i'm
prisonment."
To the ordinary mind-to one of
average intelligence-itw would seem that
nothing could be more easily under
stood; but, in order that the gentlemen
who have been in the habit of filing
certificates may more fully understand
it, we will elucidate little.
First-Both bride and groom must
affix their signatures to the certificate
in the same manner as they would
jointly sign any other document.
Second-TWO or more persons must
also sign as witness ), both OF the mar
rage and to the signatures of the bride
and groom.
Third-The person officiating must
also affix his signature with the name
of his Office annexed.
Fourth-The full name of each party
to the ceremony is required. By full
name is meant, not Robert J. Roberts,
but Robert John Roberts.
Fifth-The certificate must be filed
with the clerk of the probate court, or
where no probate court exists, then
with the court having probate powers.
We are led to make these few sug-
gestions this morning, because of a re =
cent occurrence in which well known
parties are interested. Two young
couples were married, and in few
moments after the ceremony was per-
formed, left for the coast on a wedding
tour for month or more. The certifi-
Gates of marriage were presented to the
Probate Clerk, with request that they
be filed; but a glance showed them to
| be radically defective in several partic
ulars. and especially so in the fact that
the names of the brides and grooms
were not attached, as is distinctly re
euired by the law quoted above. While
really uOG us uuGy W uO So, II16 CI6rk
returned the certificates, with the in
formation that they were defective,
pointing out the errors; and the
psrson now holds them awaiting the re-
turn of the parties from their honey
moon, when new certificates must be
prepared and signed.
Among those who knew of the circunl-
stances, there was considerable doubt
as to whether the parties were really
man and wife-the idea being suggested
that such an important omission as the
names of the contracting parties would
render the marriage null and void In
order to settle the question a prominent
member of the Salt Lake bar was yes
terday asked his opinion on the matter.
He replied that there was no doubt in
his mind but the parties were married
he did not think the failure If the
bride and groom to sign the document
| impaired the ceremony in any way.
He did think, however, that nnder the
strict letter and spirit of the law the
parties to the marriage were liable TO
punishment for failure to comply with
the law in the matter.
Another lawyer said: 81 lock for
grave trouble some of these fine days
over this very question. The loose and